Romantic Warrior continued his preparation for next month’s much-anticipated Group One QE II Cup (2,000m) with an impressive trial win at Sha Tin on Thursday, while Hugh Bowman reserved special praise for My Wish after his victory in a separate heat.
Headlining a strong contingent of Champions Day contenders trialling on the dirt, Romantic Warrior pleased trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing and Bowman when he tracked the speed and cruised to victory by a length in 1:10.70 over 1,200m.
“I’m very happy; he’s sound and he’s happy. You can see by his trial, he’s very good and James [McDonald] just asked me as he passed the winning post, ‘happy?’, so I sent the video to him,” Shum said.
“We might have one more trial on the grass or just gallop around one lap [before the QE II Cup] – we’ll see how he responds, how he comes back, how he eats and how he feels.”
Bidding for a record-extending fourth QE II Cup triumph on April 26, Romantic Warrior headlines what Shum believes will be the strongest edition of the race in many years, with the likes of Japanese stars Masquerade Ball and Museum Mile set for the HK$30 million feature.
Bowman, who has been Romantic Warrior’s regular rider in trials, was once again impressed by the eight-year-old.
“Romantic Warrior’s unreal – a little bit on the fresh side, but obviously he’s got another month before he races,” Bowman said of Romantic Warrior, who bolted in by four lengths in the Group One Gold Cup (2,000m) last start.
“He feels great – he was as powerful as ever.”
Trailing behind Romantic Warrior in Thursday’s trial was Red Lion, who led and kept on solidly for second. The John Size-trained gelding will run in the Group Two Chairman’s Trophy (1,600m) on April 6 before defending his Group One Champions Mile crown on April 26.
Fellow Chairman’s Trophy and Champions Mile prospect, Galaxy Patch, ran on well to finish third, with Patch Of Theta (fourth), last year’s Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) hero Cap Ferrat (fifth), Voyage Bubble (sixth) and Raging Blizzard (seventh) rounding out the strong heat.
With Jerry Chau Chun-lok on board for the first time, six-time Group One winner Voyage Bubble made some late ground and ran on strongly past the post in preparation for the Chairman’s Trophy and Champions Mile.
“He travelled very well in the trial and in the straight, I just asked him the last 200m and he gave me a very good feel,” Chau said.
Mark Newnham’s multiple feature winner My Wish stormed home to win another 1,200m dirt trial on Thursday, boosting Bowman’s confidence ahead of the Chairman’s Trophy and Champions Mile.
“I’m happy with him. I haven’t had as much to do with him as the other horses, but he trialled really well so I think going to the mile with him, he could actually really make his presence felt,” Bowman said. “So, I’m excited to be linking up with him.”
Helios Express also finished well for third in another trial under Bowman. The John Size-trained sprinter will once again take on Ka Ying Rising in the Group Two Sprint Cup (1,200m) on April 6 and the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) on Champions Day.
“As we know, he doesn’t love [the all-weather] surface so you’ve got to keep him a little bit interested, but he was there for me,” Bowman said.
“He had a good blow and he’ll have to take on Ka Ying Rising again, but he’s in good order.”
